


Hold Me Now

by ChElFi



Series: I Don't Dance [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Captain Hill - Freeform, Captain Hill Developing, Cuddling Somewhere, Day 2, Developing Relationship, F/M, POV Male Character, Romance, Single POV, Steve's Pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 21:25:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2244015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChElFi/pseuds/ChElFi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: Welcome to day 2. This story takes place about two months after day 1, in the middle of my first ever Captain Hill story "Uninvited."</p>
    </blockquote>





	Hold Me Now

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Welcome to day 2. This story takes place about two months after day 1, in the middle of my first ever Captain Hill story "Uninvited."

It was cold, freezing in fact. And Steve did not plan on arguing with Maria about his plan to keep her from freezing to death.

Their jet was shot out of the sky over the Andes, they, the only two passengers, and the pilot, managed to jump but Maria's parachute had jammed (something Steve was going to check into when they returned) and he and Maria ended up separated from the pilot after Steve had plummeted after her then carried her down into the snow and ice using his parachute.

They had advanced as far as hand-holding, though Steve was beginning to doubt they'd get any further. She wasn't interested and he had the feeling there was something going on between her and Jasper Sitwell. (He had argued with himself that he'd had the same thought about Peggy and Howard and that he'd been wrong, but Peggy had often made her feelings at least slightly more clear. Maria had made no insinuation at all.) No, Steve was only a friend to Maria, but holding her close on the way down had made him wish even more that he'd been fortunate enough to have met her before Jasper had.

Now they were practically nose to nose, arguing about Steve's idea to give her his uniform top to keep her warm.

"I think I'll be just fine," Steve bit out in frustration. "I was frozen for 70 years and I haven't felt any negative side effects. I doubt a few hours will kill me."

"But we can't be sure," she told him, and now her teeth were chattering so badly she barely got the words out.

Stubborn woman, Steve cursed in his head, and pulled off his shirt without further discussion then forced her into it. Taking the parachute and wrapping it around them, he made sure Maria's legs and feet were securely inside before he pulled the rest over their heads. He hoped this, along with the outcropping that seemed to be protecting them from most of the wind, would be enough until SHIELD could respond to their beacon.

He held her tightly against him, knowing his body heat would do more to keep her warm, wishing it wasn't dire circumstances that had finally brought her into his arms. After several minutes, she was warmed enough that she had stopped shaking as badly and Steve finally relaxed.

"You know, it's not always a bad thing to take help from someone, Maria," he said quietly in her ear.

She huffed.

"Are you trying to make me angry, Captain?"

Steve's heart clenched at her use of the title and he barely managed to splutter out the next words.

"No, I just want you to know people won't think less of you," he was interrupted by her laughter and he pulled slightly away to give her a confused look.

"It's OK, Steve," she told him. "Anger gets the blood flowing better."

Steve still wasn't convinced. Then she smiled at him.

"Phil told me that once when we were stuck in a similar situation," she informed him.

He nodded, though he still wasn't sure he understood, then pulled her back up against him as she went on.

"He told me to think of the most upsetting thing I could, not the most pleasant," she laughed again. "Anyway, it worked for me."

Steve felt the question form on the tip of his tongue, but he left it there. He wanted to know, but he didn't want her to feel later that he'd taken advantage of their situation to learn personal information about her. She had proven to be an extremely private person and Steve had resolved to wait until she was ready to tell him things. He tried to encourage her, however, by sharing his own life and memories with her.

"Maybe that's the real reason I lived through the crash," Steve said. "Because my thoughts couldn't have been on much worse."

"How so?" she asked, her breath against his chest causing goose pimples the snow and cold could not.

"I was thinking of how I'd never see Peggy again," Steve swallowed down the emotion that threatened. "It was a sacrifice that had to be made, but that knowledge didn't make the pain any less."

She was still for a moment and Steve concentrated on the warm breaths blowing evenly on his chest, then she pulled away and looked at him. There was a sympathetic look on her face, and Steve wondered if she'd ever had to make similar sacrifices. But when she reached up and touched his face, all rational thoughts scattered.

Her lips were mere inches from his. So many times he'd been close to Peggy and wanted to pull her to him, wanted to tell her everything he felt for her, how, far more than the serum, she made him feel like a real man, like he was strong, like he was worthy. He'd always thought they'd have more time, even after Bucky died, he waited. He'd been a fool to do so. Why was he risking the same mistake now?

Steve saw the surprise in Maria's eyes as he leaned closer, but no fear. Did she want this, as well? Were his feelings not as one-sided as he'd feared?

A screeching from the radio in Maria's pocket startled them and they pulled apart. Maria reached for it, then verified the codes before engaging in further conversation.

"ETA for extraction, less than ten minutes, Commander," the voice said over the static, and Steve couldn't help but be slightly disappointed.

"We should make you presentable," she said, shoving the radio back into her pocket.

She removed his shirt and handed it to him. And it was as if that moment had never happened. Reality intruded and reminded her of who she was, and what was acceptable for her. And, it looked to Steve, a relationship with Captain America wasn't one of those things.


End file.
